Sure, you love your iPhone, but did you ever feel like there was just one application missing from the home screen... besides MMS, IM, or a video recorder? If you're like us, that missing application was a full-featured Packbot control program replete with streaming POV video and a standalone, direct WiFi connection that doesn't require a proxy machine to pass along commands. Rodrigo Guiterrez and Jeff Craighead -- the brains behind this operation -- claim that next up they plan to utilize the phone's accelerometers and a fullscreen video display to deliver a "you are there" experience for bot-steering. Engadget and its team of armed Packbots can hardly wait. Check the video after the break to see it in action.

IPEVO, better known for its Skype-related offerings, is gearing up to unveil its PoV handheld webcam at the Taipei Computer Show, but thankfully, it went ahead and uploaded most all of the nitty gritty onto its website for us to pore over. Apparently, the device is designed to enable users to easily show others "what they see," and it features a VGA (640 x 480) resolution, adjustable focus, automatic white balance, a built-in microphone and USB 2.0 connectivity. You can also perch this bugger on your desk or desktop monitor, but c'mon, where's the fun in that? No word on a price or release date just yet, but those tidbits should be readily available next month.

[Thanks, Roy C.]

Any serious gamer already has a headset so he/she can bark commands/encouragement/taunts at his/her teammates while keeping both hands free. But what most gamers probably don't have is a way to glance around the gaming environment with a simple turn of the head. To solve this problem, NaturalPoint, along with Creative Labs, have just announced the TrackClip PRO, a sensor that latches onto your existing headset, but changes your field of view so that each time you look about any axis (roll, pitch, yaw), you'll see exactly what's going on in the game. It can be yours for $40 and will start shipping on December 4, provided that you can tear yourself away from your World of Warcraft marathon long enough to find your credit card.

[Via NaturalPoint press release]

So last weekend, some of the Engadget editors were getting together at our latest country club retreat (read: miniature golf) and we were discussing over glasses of chardonnay (read: a couple of beers) how we could improve our golf swing (read: none of this ever happened). That said, we're always looking to better our game. Fortunately for us, our pal Philip Torrone over at MAKE: Blog pointed us to a detailed set of instructions on how to make a golf club POV (persistence of vision, or a device that spells out words when swung) that writes "NICE SWINGING!" if you've got that coveted golf arc down. According to Zedomax, if you spend the time and money to build this POV, it should cost about $45 and ought to take about two hours to construct. Of course, a $45 gadget won't replace your $50/hr golf coach, but it may just make you the coolest (and dorkiest) player on the back nine. (Bonus points to the first person that makes one of these that spells out Engadget, or the "e" logo).